Taking a sabbatical?

Almost everyone dreams of a sabbatical. Taking a break from the ‘rat race’, doing something completely different. Learning a language, doing volunteer work, or maybe just dusting off those books that have been begging to be read for years. I packed my bags fourteen years ago. And my husband. Or actually, he took the initiative. He, me, Rome. It still ranks in the top five of my BBOs (Best Decisions Ever). If you're about to take a sabbatical, keep this in mind.

1. It's Not Scary

At the moment we shared our plans, everyone came up with bears and paths. Did we not find it scary? Were we not afraid that people would forget us? Were we not afraid that we wouldn't be able to get back to work afterwards?

Uh... No. I didn't find it scary at all. We had saved up, we kept our house (a luxury, I know, but it was a super cheap apartment), we were back within three hours of flying if something happened, and we were going to Rome, not to a war zone. Forget that. I don't know how it is for you, but I can easily not see very dear friends for half a year. Just because we're both busy, each having to cancel two dinner appointments, and then suddenly it's Christmas again. Experience shows that we actually had much more and intense contact with everyone. Then the third point. We both worked in TV as ‘seasonal workers’. When the year was over, you went on unemployment benefits for three months. Why would they suddenly forget us now when otherwise you could calmly work for another producer for half a year? They didn't forget you then, did they? I think if you're good at what you do and you've always worked hard, people won't forget you easily. Moreover, you only become more interesting to the outside world. Oh, she was on sabbatical, right?

“A sabbatical is like a pregnancy; you can't say in advance how it will turn out”

2. It's often a turning point

There are companies, Starbucks for example, that grant you a sabbatical after so many years of loyal service. My employer also suggested sending me on unpaid leave. This way I was insured and she considered the chance quite high that I would return to her. Something deep in my gut couldn't accept her generous offer. What if I wanted to stay longer? Or didn't want to come back at all? Or maybe found another job. Eventually, it happened in Rome (by the way, the nicest places in Rome) that my ‘transfer’ from TV to magazine land took place and I was therefore intensely happy that I had chosen my own independence. Anyway, be careful with making plans for afterwards, because a sabbatical is like a pregnancy; you can't say in advance how it will turn out.

3. Think about what you want

Do you want to travel, do you want to become one with a country, do you want to work, learn a language? Think about that in advance. We chose a place and to dive deep into it. We bought a Vespa and rented an apartment in the center. With an extra bedroom so that friends (yes, those we hadn't seen for half a year) could visit and we learned the language. This way, our sabbatical is not only a beautiful memory, but I still benefit from it because I learned Italian. We liked having something to show for it. But well, we are also the types who prefer to read biographies than novels. It always has to be useful: exhausting. Maybe you want adventure and hop from one country to another. You certainly learn a lot from that too.

“You'll see. You go. Write a book, write a book. If you don't write a book, don't write a book”

4. About those friends

If you're in a fixed place and that place is nice, there's a danger that you'll have friends over every weekend. Our visitors usually left on Monday and fresh ones arrived on Wednesday. The sheets were just clean and dry again. We loved hosting everyone there, but we decided not to keep parking our Italian life for our Dutch friends. So when we were invited for dinner, we said we couldn't spend an evening with them. I think they appreciated that too.

5. Don't set your goals too high

In NRC I read a piece about a woman who went on sabbatical and wanted to write a book. Once away from everything, she realized that she had a serious burnout  and was sleeping fourteen hours and maybe needed to do absolutely nothing. Everyone kept asking how her book was progressing, which gave her a pressured feeling. You'll see. You go. Write a book, write a book. If you don't write a book, don't write a book.

If you go, will you let me know?